Rack locomotive or car



Jan., 13, 19.25.

A. F. BATCHELDER RACK LocoMoTIvE 0R CAR FiledrMay 3l, 1924 2 Sheetsheet 1 Inventor:

As@ F. Batchlar,

Has At-emw-J Jan. 13,1925..

' A.`F. BATCHELDER HACK LocoMoTIvE 0R' 'GAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 5l, 1924 Inventor: As c: E Batcheder,

His Attorney.

Patented den. 13, 1925,

iran stares aaraarr ASA F. BATCHELDER, OF SCOTIA, NEW YORK, ASSGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COM- IPANY, A CREQRTIQN NEW 'YGRKs BACK IAOCOMOTVE OR CAR.

Application filed May 31I To all 107mm t may concern v Be it known that I, ASA F. Bii'rormiinnn, a citizen of the United States, residin at Scotia, in the county of Schenectady7 tate of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rack Locomotives or Cars7 of which the following is a specification. c I

My invention relates to locomotives or cars for railway systems of the type in which portions of the track are of such a steep gradient that traction by means of adhesion of the wheels on the tracks becomes dangerous or impossible, and in which racks are provided on the grades to provide the necessary additional tractive effort. It relates more particularly to a means for facilitating the meshing of the'driving or rack gear of such a locomotive or car with a stationary rack as the locomotive or car passes from a section of the system which is not provided with a rack7 on toa sectionwhich is provided with a rack.

In such a railway system, the locomotives are fitted with a rack gear which is adapted to engage with a rack arrangedvparallel to the rails on which the locomotive runs.

When approaching an incline fitted with,-

such a rack, it has been customary to start up the auxiliary engine. or motor driving the rack gear so that by the time'it engages with Vthe rack, it will be rotating with a periph#V eral speed substantially equal to the relative linear speed of the rack withrres-pect `to the locomotive, so that the meshing of the rack gear and vthe rack will take place without undue shock. In practice, however, it is dificult to eeet a meshing of the raclfz and raekgear in this manner owing to the inability of the operator to control the speed of the rack gear and bring it to the proper speed before the meshing takes place. Fail-v ure to obtain a meshing, especially when the Vweight ofthe train is great, may result in damage to the rack or rack gear or both.

The Vobject of my invention is to provide means whereby the above difficulty of obtaining a meshingofl the rack gear and rack without undue shock is overcome and damage to the parts is eectively avoided.

I accomplish the above object by providing means on the truck which will cooperate with the traction rails upon which the locomotive or car runs to impart rotation to the rack gear and cause Vit to attain a speed cor- 1924. Serial No. 716,937.

responding to the relative linear speed of the truck with respect to the rack so that when the rack gear engages the rack, it will be rotating at the proper speed and will therefore roll into mesh with the rack without shock, the means which cooperates with the rails upon which the truck runs being -movable into and out of engagement with said rails and so proportionedY that the speed of the rack gear before meshing with said racks will te substantially equal to the speed of the said gear after meshing with said rack.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of my invention, reference may be had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a truck equippedl with means embodying my inventioin and Fig. 2 is a fragmentary lsectional view along` theV axial cen- `ter lline* of the rack gear supporting shaft.

In the drawing a truck embodying my inventionis shown mounted upon traction rails 10 of a railway system. The truck comprises a truck frame 11 and wheels 12 whichfrun upon the rails 10. Frame 11 is provided `with rack gears 13 rotatably mounted-thereon which are adapted to engage a stationary rack 14 located between therails 10. The rack gears 13 are connected to and are adapted to be driven by motors 15 which are also mounted on the truck frame 11. Vhen-the rack gears-13 are in engagement with the rack 141 and the motors 15 energized, the locomotive will be propelled along the rails 10 through the agency of the rack gears 13 and the rack 14 by the motors 15.

In order to facilitate the meshing of the rack gears 13 with the stationary rack 14 as the locomotive passes over onto a section of the railway system provided with a rack 14, means comprising a shaft 16 having a friction wheel 17 mounted thereon is provided to cooperate with the rails 10 and cause the rack gears 13 to rotate before they engage the stationary rack 14 (see Fig. 2). The friction wheel 17 is so proportioned that the peripheral speed of the rack gears 13 before meshing with the rack 14 will be substantially equal to the relative linear speed of Cil Cl A

Vuppermost position.

VFig. 2 of the drawing.

upon a shaft 22 journaled in the frame of the motors 15. This shaft also carries a second gear 28 which engages a Second Spui' gear 2i on the end of the shaft of motors 15. The

gears and 21 form a reduction gear coni nection between the motors 15 and the quill shaft 18. OneV end of the quill shaft 18 is provided with a universal lioint which connects it to and supports one end of the Yshaft 16. The shaft 16 extends through the quill shaft 18 and is supported at its other i end b y a journal box 2G which is carried onv trunnions 27 which engage a movable yoke 28. r1 his yoke 28 is pivoted at one end to the truck frame 11 and is supported at its other end'by apiston. rod 29 of a pneumatic cyl- .inder 30.. The piston rod 29 is biased by spring 31to a positionwhich will maintain ,the journal box 2cand the yoke 28 in their In this position, the secondishaftl will be in a position concentric with the quill shaft 18 and the friction wheel 17 will be held out of contact with the rails 10. The piston rod 29 is connected to a piston (not shown) which moves vertically i in the pneumatic cylinder and when suiicient compressed air or other medium is admitted to the cylinderl() to overcome the bias affected by the spring .31, the shaft 16 will be moved downwardly and the friction wheel 17 will be brought into. frictional engagement with one of the rails as shown in Y The friction wheel 17 may be fitted with a peripheral band of material having a high coefficient of friction to thus improve the gripV between the friction wheel 17 and the rail 10.

lVhile l have hereinbefoie stated that the friction wheel 17 when in engagement with the rails 10 will impart a rot-ary movementtothe rack gear 13 and the motorl15, itmay befound desirable to apply a small amount of electrical energy to the motors 15 and then rely on the .friction wheel 17. to control the speed ofthe motors 15 by either causing them to run faster or slower than'` tlieywould run without the friction wheel 17 in cooperation with the rails 10.

.hln operation, the operator upon approaching a section ofthe system provided with a Vracklt applies a reduced voltage tothe *motorf 15 and 'also operates mechanism "adapted to bring thefriction wheel '17 into contact with tlie'track rail 10 to thereby control the 'speed of tliera'ckv gear liand the motor 15 and cause them to rotate at the proper speed to secure a meshing without shock. The aboveioperationisfperformed by the operator at a distance sufficiently in advance of the rack 14 to insure that the rack gearsl?) and the motor 15 will be rotating at the proper speed when the rack is engaged. After the meshing of the rack gear 13 and the rack 14 has occurreththe above mechanism is again operated and' the friction wheel 17 will then return to its initial position concentric with'the axisv of the with the raillO.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a rack locomotive7 the combination of a rack gear rotatably ino'u'nted'upon said locomotive and adapted ytoengage a stationary rack, and friction wheel'mount'e'd up'on said locomotive adapted 'torcooperatewith one of the' rails vupon-'which said locomotive runs for causing said rack gear to rotate as the locomotive moves .over the iails. 1

2. In a'rack locomotive,tlie combination of a rack gear i'o'tatablymonntedL upon said locomotive and adapted toleng'age a stationary rack, and means comprising a'shaft connected to said rack gear having a friction vheel mounted thereon adapted to cooperate with one of the rails upon which` said locoi motive runsrfor ca.using"said rackigear to rotate as 'the "locomotive moves' over the rails.V y Y y' Y i In a rack locomotive; the combination of a rack gear rotatably mounted iipoirsaid locomotive and adaptedto engage a station- 'ary rack, a motor on said-locomotive adapted todiive saidirack gear,` and means connectedwith 'said j rack gear adapted topcooperate frictionally with one of' the rails upon which said'locomotive r'unsfor controlling the speed ofjsaid rack gear and'said motor as the locomotive rails. Y Y Y i l. In a rack locomotive, the combination moves overithe quill shaft 18 and out of. engagement VlOl) of a rack gear rotatably mounted uponisaid Y locomotive and adapted to engage a 'stationary rack7 a motor on said locomotive adapted-to drive said rack'geanand a friction wheel mountedupon said locomoti've'adapted to cooperate with one` of therails upon which the locomotive runs for' causingvsaid rack gear andsaid motor to 'rotate as said locomotive moves over'the rails. y

5L ln arac-k locomotive,-the combination of arack gear' rotatably mounted upon said locomotive andadapted to' engage a stationary rack5 a quill shaft for supportingsaid rack gear,and means extending through said quill shaft aiidcooperating withvone of the rails upon` which the' locomotive'runs for motivel moves' overt the rails..

causing safid rack `gearl to rotate as Vtlrielloeo- I: O

6. In a rack locomotive, the combination of a rack gear rotatablymounted upon said locomotive and adapted to engage a stationary rack, a quill shaft for supporting said rack gear, a second shaft extending through said quill shaft, and a friction Wheel secured to said second shaft adapted to cooperate with one of the rails upon which the locomotive runs for causing said rack gear to rotate as the locomotive moves over the rails.

7. In a rack locomotive, the combination of a rack gear rotatably mounted upon said locomotive and adapted to engage a stationary rack, a quill shaft for supporting` said rack gear, a second shaft extending through said quill shaft and secured at one end thereto, a friction Wheel at the other end of said second shaft, and means for moving said friction Wheel. into and out of engagement with one of the rails upon which the locomotive runs for causing said rack gear to rotate as the locomotive moves over the rails.

S. In a rack locomotive, the combination of a rack gear rotatably mounted upon said locomotive and adapted to engage a,station ary rack, a quill shaft for supportingsaid rack gear, a second shaft extending through said quill shaft and secured at one end thereto, a friction Wheel at the other end of said shaft, adapted to engage one of the rails cupon which the locomotive runs, a means for biasing said friction Wheel into an inoperative position, and means for overcoming said bias and moving said friction Wheel into engagement with the rail for causing said rack gear to rotate as the locomotive moves over the rails.

9. In a rack locomotive, the combination of a rack gear rotatably mounted upon said locomotive and adapted to engage a stationary rack, a quill shaft for supporting said rack locomotive, a second shaft extending through said quill shaft, a universal joint between said quill shaft and one end of said second shaft, a friction Wheel mounted upon the other end of said second shaft, and means for moving said friction wheel into and out of engagement with one of the rails upon which said locomotive runs.

10. In a rack locomotive, the combination of a motor upon said locomotive, a quill shaft journaled at its ends to said locomotive and adapted to be driven by said motor, a racl; gear secured to said quill shaft and adapted to engage said stationary rack, and

means connected to said quill shaft adapted' to cooperate With one of the rails upon which said locomotive runs for causing said rack gear and said motor to rotate as said locomotive moves over the rails.

1l. In a rack locomotive, the combination of a motor upon said locomotive, a quill shaft journaled at its ends to said locomotive and adapted to be driven by said motor, a rack gear secured to said quill shaft and adapted to engage a stationary rack, and means comprisinga second shaft extending through said quill shaft having a friction Wheel at the end thereof adapted to cooperate vvith one of the rails upon which the locomotive runs for causing said rack gear and said motor to rotate as said locomotive moves over the rails.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 29th day of May, 1924.

ASA F. BATCI-IELDER. 

